A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist
by dressagejet
Summary: An elleth who was forced to escape from all the Haradrim adventures she had when she was younger finally gets another chance at going on an adventure again, but it will cost the life of the one she loves most. And first she must help a friend escape a life of violence. Eventual tenth walker and Legomance. Also OC/OC. Rated M just to be safe. Occasional book plot but mainly movie.
1. Just an Ordinary Bookworm

_**A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist**_

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit. I only own my own characters brought forth from my own wild imagination (Narloth, Erebwen, Dagorast, Ashare and Rhovan)

This is my first Fanfic so reviews would be greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

**Chapter One- Just an Ordinary Bookworm**

I have always suffered from a vague restlessness. A longing for an adventure that I have rationalized comes from reading too many adventure novels as a child. Regardless of reason, my thoughts had not changed on the matter until I met Gandalf.

I had awoken early, gone for a brisk run and was currently eating a quick breakfast around one of Rivendell's many waterfalls when he had appeared before me.

"It's time," he had said.

No explanation or introduction, just 'it's time.' I had been half tempted to turn around and see if someone was behind me even though I'd heard no one approach. He was staring directly at me however, and I immediately thought this obnoxiously long-bearded man was strange. Not in a bad way but just a bit weird.

"Time for what?" I questioned.

"For you to learn about the prophecy," he replied while motioning for me to follow him.

I had no clue who he was or what he was talking about but decided that although I didn't trust him and had no weapons, he was only an old man and I could take him if need be. (Oh, how wrong was I.)

I conceded and began following him as he led the way through Imladris.

We exchanged names along the way and I realized he was an Istari. There I was with no weapons and he had magic. Now I was feeling very safe.

We eventually arrived at the library of Imladris.

As we walked inside I took a deep breath through my nose, letting my favorite smell- books- fill my lungs.

"The prophecy is written here somewhere," Gandalf said, striding towards the nearest shelf.

"I don't mean to sound immodest but I've read almost everything here. I could help you find it quicker," I quipped.

"Your parents told me you liked to read," he said, smiling a little.

"How do you know my parents?" I asked.

"I met your father many years ago when he was still a guard of Rivendell. Naturally, after befriending Dagorast, I met your mother too. Even met you. Although that was many years ago when you were still in Ashare's arms."

I relaxed a bit. If he had known my parents he couldn't be half bad.

"Found it," he said, picking up a weathered piece of paper.

We sat down at a narrow table against the wall and he handed me the page of paper.

I had seen it lying around before but had never read it. The top of the page said my name and below it was what seemed to be a poem of some kind. It read:

Narloth,

Become the tenth

And lives you will save

An evil foe brings tragedy and death

A sacrifice is the only way

The one you love most, now lost

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Gandalf replied, his face wrinkling slightly as he thought.

"What made you tell me about this now then?" I questioned, surprised I hadn't read it before.

"Just a feeling," he said. " You should probably keep this from your parents for now."

"Not a problem. I don't have any…not anymore."

"They've sailed?" he asked with concern and curiosity.

"My father sailed but my mother was killed by Haradrim," I replied, moving my hands underneath the table so they didn't shake.

"I thought she made it back with you? That you were both okay?"

"She did and we were, but then Haradrim assassin's came. My father and mother hid me and then fought them but they managed to kill my mom. That's why my father sailed. His grief nearly took him."

"Forgive me. I didn't know," he said, sighing deeply.

"There's nothing to forgive. It was a long time ago and you aren't the one who killed her," I said, trying not to remember what had happened.

"What about you? Are the Haradrim after you?"

I shake my head, " No my mother told them I had died on the trip back from Harad."

"Ashare was a wise woman," Gandalf said smiling a little.

I nod, agreeing with him. My mother had always been the one to give me advice and liked to read to me. She had made me into the bookworm I was today. She had been Haradrim for years, wise and battle-hardened. With visible tattoos, tan skin, dark hair and dark eyes, she'd been anything but ordinary looking to my father. He had passed no judgment on her appearance and they somehow became friends and then slowly they were no longer friends, but so much more than that.

When she became pregnant with me she wanted to allow me to see her heritage and begrudgingly my father accepted her request.

When I was able, I traveled with my mother to Harad. A place very different from Imladris and I loved it. I had loved the shouting and tattoos(I earned several of my own) and became proficient in hand to hand combat and horseback riding, often racing horses across the sand dunes. I had been very reckless and would stand in the face of danger without a thought. I nearly became almost fearless. This was noticed by some of the Haradrim and although I was young (for an elf) they had come to my mother proposing that I train as an assassin. My mother refused and we fled. Somewhere along the line she'd told them I was dead and after she'd died I was left with a grieving father who eventually left. Both of them gone. Leaving me alone with my grief, pain and guilt.

"So it seems like the prophecy is saying that I'll get to go on an adventure but will lose a loved one," I said, changing the subject before I could start crying.

"That's what it seems to imply, yes."

"I'm pretty sure that last part has already happened," I admitted, trying to keep myself together. I'd never cried in front of anyone before and I was not going to start now. I blinked my eyes rapidly and snatched up the paper, putting it back where it came from.

"Perhaps," Gandalf muttered, but I could hear him and his voice was filled with doubt.

"How will I know when it's time for the prophecy to begin?"

"I'll be sure to keep you informed," he replied, standing and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

*Well that was chapter one. Hope you enjoyed!*


	2. Adventure Skills

_**A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist**_

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit. I only own my own characters brought forth from my own wild imagination(Narloth, Erebwen, Rhovan, Dagorast and Ashare.

**Chapter Two- Adventure Skills**

He had left and I'd gone about my business the rest of the day with every thought centered on the prophecy. I'd finally get my adventure but whose life would it cost?

Which now brings us to the now and present or two days later when I decided that regardless, I would need to learn more "adventure skills."

If an adventure really was in my forecast I wanted to be prepared. I was already proficient in hand to hand combat, although it had been years since I had even practiced. I had decided I need to learn some swordsmanship and my friend, Rhovan was meeting me to teach me what he knew. I myself, knew very little about it. Enough to defend myself against someone who didn't know much. So basically, I was clueless.

I spot Rhovan and jog towards him, waving.

He returns the gesture, smiling.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Ready," I reply.

I unsheathe my sword from my belt. It is a plain and light weight sword but it is strong.

"That's a nice blade," Rhovan remarks.

"Thanks. It was my father's, he called it Firefrost."

"Well I hope Firefrost is ready for battle," he challenges, bringing his sword down.

I swing Firefrost upward, quickly blocking his blow.

"Good," Rhovan compliments. "But your position is lacking. Always keep sideways to your attacker," he says, gently turning me. "That way your chest presents the smallest possible target."

"Noted," I reply.

"Okay, I want to see just how much you know. I need to find out your skill level."

"What do I need to do?"

"Give me all you've got; I'll simply block."

"But what if I hit you?"

"You are not going to hit me," he scoffs with a snort.

I bristle at his amused tone and say "I could hit you. Even master swordsman make mistakes. I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming."

He looks at me patiently.

"I don't want to hurt you," I tell him.

"How much experience do you have with a sword?"

I glance down at Firefrost. "A couple of minutes?"

"You're not going to hit me," he says, giving me a confident smirk.

I bristle at his comment and raise Firefrost, swinging it left and right, up and down. Rhovan blocks my swing every time. I swing harder and faster, remembering to keep sideways. Then I try to get the upper hand by moving around him but to no avail.

"Alright, stop," Rhovan says.

"Tired?" I scoff, hoping to wound his pride as he had mine.

"You're not terrible," he says, ignoring my comment. "but we have a lot of work to do. I think that's enough for today."

I nod. "Have you seen Erebwen lately?" I ask.

"No," he says, blushing.

I smile. Rhovan has had a crush on my friend, Erebwen since, well, forever. He has never told her about his feelings for her and Erebwen has been dating someone for almost a year now. His name is Morlyg and Rhovan and I have become suspicious of him because we occasionally spot bruises along Erebwen's arms. We confronted her about it and she had laughed, saying the bruises were from working on her families farm. We didn't press the matter, hoping she was being honest. We were both quite worried that something was going on.

"How about you? Have you seen her?"

"It's been a few days. Would you like to visit her with me?"

"Do you think he'll be there?" Rhovan asks, balling his fists.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully not," I reply, punching him playfully in the shoulder to lighten his mood.

"Watch it. We haven't even gotten to hand to hand combat and I will bring you down," he says, grinning.

Now it's my turn to snort, even though he might be right.


	3. Tears of Truth

_**A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist**_

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit. I only own my own characters brought forth from my own wild imagination (Narloth, Erebwen, Rhovan, Dagorast and Ashare).

**Chapter Three- Tears of Truth**

We arrive at Erebwen's and I scan the room for signs that Morlyg is around but I neither hear nor see any trace of him. Good. Rhovan won't do anything rash and we can spend time with Erebwen alone.

"Anything to drink?" Erebwen asks.

We shake our heads.

"So did Nar's swordsmanship skills impress you?" she asks Rhovan.

"She's not as hopeless of a cause as I expected," Rhovan grins.

I roll my eyes, making sure he sees.

"I'd say it went well then," Erebwen laughs.

"Rhovan's a good teacher," I say.

I turn towards him, catching him staring at Erebwen and he blushes.

"You okay?" Erebwen asks.

"F-Fine," he stammers, turning redder.

"So how have you been lately?" I ask her, saving Rhovan from his predicament.

"I've been well. Morlyg has been helping my parents harvest their crops and I've been helping them can preservatives."

"How nice of him," I acknowledge.

"He's a great help," she replies with a tight smile.

I see Rhovan frown out of the corner of my eye. I can tell by how he looks at her that he loves her. He always has. I wish he would just tell her.

We speak with Erebwen for awhile, laughing and telling jokes and stories. Rhovan of course mentioning the elaborate plan I had come up with when I was thirty to get my crush, Belegor, to notice me. It had not ended well and it was without a doubt my most embarrassing moment but now we all laugh about it and the tease me about who will be the next crush.

We soon become hungry and eat lunch together. I take my time to enjoy the fresh fruit and bread. Rhovan and Erebwen finish before I do and go to the kitchen together.

***RHOVAN'S POV***

I see her washing her plate and grab a nearby towel to dry it.

"Erebwen…we've known each other a long time. You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

She looks me in the eye and I notice she's pulled the sleeves of her dress up to wash the dishes without getting them wet. She quickly realizes and pulls them down but not before I see the bruises. I notice that some of them are new. I catch her hands and she looks up, her eyes betraying her. Whether she realizes it or not, she has told me everything I need to know. That he is hurting her.

"I know," she replies quickly.

"I'm here for you. You can call on my day or night. I'll be there."

She nods, sniffling, and returns to washing her plate.

I want to say more. I want to tell her about my feelings for her and that I love her but now is not the time and with everything she's going through, what she really needs is reassurance and comfort from her friends.

"Thanks for helping me clean up. Odd to find a man willing to help out in the kitchen, though." She pauses and then says, "you just wanted to question me, didn't you?"

"No, I don't mind helping. Do you find that so hard to believe?" I ask, wondering what Morlyg does other than beat her. I can't imagine hurting someone so gentle and kind. My heart beats faster as her grey eyes look up at me.

"Well…you're a man."

" You noticed that, did you," I reply, chuckling.

She smiles up at me, her grin wide and white. I wonder if Morylg has ever made her smile. That's really all I want from her, her smile and laughter. I want to make her the happiest woman in Middle Earth.

"Narloth is here for you as well, just so you know," I add, planting a light kiss on her forehead. Her hair smells like flowers and fruit. The preserves, I remember, smiling. I step back even though my desire to be closer to her is almost overwhelming. We stare at each other for a moment and I wonder if she wants the same thing as I do.

"We should get back," Erebwen says quickly.

"Of course," I reply. "Narloth could be choking on her food and we'd never know."

She laughs. It is my favorite sound in the world that laugh. Probably because it sounds so weird and makes me laugh with her.

"With as slow as Nar eats, she'd be the least likely person to do anything of the sort," Erebwen replies.

***NARLOTH'S POV***

They enter the room together and I can tell Erebwen seems different somehow. She looks happy, relieved. Rhovan must have said something. I glance at him and he winks. I chuckle and despite the fact that she isn't sad, give her a hug. I am sure she doesn't mind.

"Thank you," she mumbles in my ear.

I don't know what to say to her so I just nod.

The next day, Rhovan begins training me in hand to hand combat. He already knows I'm pretty good and I am excited to do something I've been trained to do before. As we practice, I find that although I'm not extremely strong and that it's been a while, I'm very quick and I'm exceptionally good at anticipating Rhovan's moves. I'm not sure if that's because I've known him forever or if I'm actually good at seeing my opponent's next move. I'm impressed with myself and continue to block and dodge his advances while trying to throw in some punches of my own.

Before we started practicing, Rhovan had instructed that we were not to hit each other, just block. I understand his caution but eventually I will need to know how to take a hit. I would need to experience a real fight to improve. With Rhovan this will be a touchy subject. I know he won't want to hurt me.

"You're actually really good," he remarks.

"You sound so surprised," I tease.

"I am," he agrees. "You should incorporate this into your swordsmanship. Wait until you get better with your sword though."

"Alright."

We practice a little longer and then we sit down in the lush grass. Rhovan tells me what happened with Erebwen and I frown.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes," he replies.

"I don't know. I think we need more proof. Any ideas?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who always has a plan."

"I do not al-"

"Do I really need to bring up the time when you were thirty and you really like what's-his-name…Belegor, so you decided to-"

"Okay, okay," I interrupt before he goes any further. "Give me a minute to think of something."

I go through different scenarios but they all involve Erebwen eventually leaving Morlyg. For good. If she's not willing to leave, she'll keep going back and nothing will change. I voice this thought to Rhovan and he becomes very quiet.

"She needs to be shown that she deserves better," he says after a moment. "I need to tell her about my feelings."

"Morlyg will come after you Rhovan."

"I can take him," he says confidently.

"He'll come after Erebwen too."

"I'll protect her."

"You can't be by her side every second."

"Well we have to do something," he says, getting frustrated.

"Do you think her parents know? I don't want to go behind her back but maybe they'll forbid her to see him."

"Or we could tell Lord Elrond, maybe."

"Or we could just kill him."

I say it jokingly but I realize both of us are considering the thought.

"I don't know," Rhovan sighs. "Let's take a night to think about it."

I nod in agreement. We say our goodbyes and go our separate ways and later, when I crawl into bed I feel like my body is on fire. I came up with several plans but don't feel that any are good enough and I can't concentrate on anything but my anger. Morlyg is hitting my friend. The friend I grew up with and have known forever is being beaten.

I shake my head and give in trying to fall asleep. I toss and turn all night.

**So what do you guys think of Rhovan and Erebwen so far? **


	4. A Guilty Predator

_**A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist**_

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit. I only own my own characters brought forth from my own wild imagination (Narloth, Erebwen, Rhovan, Dagorast and Ashare).

This is my first Fanfic so reviews would be greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

Also, I apologize for my spelling mistake on Morlyg's name. I've been writing Morylg which is not right. My bad.

**Chapter Four-** _A Guilty Predator_

I wake up and head to our practice area. I'm early and Rhovan won't meet me for another few minutes so I stretch my muscles and warm up. I close my eyes, drinking in the peace of the birds chirping and singing, relishing the feel of the wind on my tanned skin. I take a deep breath, slowly open my eyes and then I see him.

A hulking mass of muscle- Morlyg. He is headed east. Towards Erebwen's home.

I suddenly feel my resolve leaving me and feel my blood begin to boil. And then I'm running, racing towards his bulky form with my only thoughts on how I can hurt him.

He sees me coming, turning to face me but does not expect my fist landing squarely on his jaw. My brain, trying to remain logical tells me that one punch is enough but my adrenaline and anger have taken hold of me.

I take in Morlyg's stance, noticing that in his surprise he has left everything but his face, defenseless. I take advantage of this and bring my knee into his stomach, receiving a grunt from my opponent. I raise my arm, swinging towards his face again but this time Morlyg is prepared and he blocks my blow. His surprise has left and now he is livid. He raises his own fist and I block my face but he isn't aiming for my face. I realize this too late and his own fist collides with my stomach sending me backwards into the air. I land, sprawled out against the ground and quickly pull myself up, despite the lack of air I'm receiving after his punch.

Morlyg steps toward me, smiling and I kick my foot into his inner thigh near his knee cap. He gasps in pain, taking a couple of steps back to regain his footing. I charge forward and my fist hits his nose. In return his arm connects with my cheek, making it sting and turn red. Heat rushes to my brain in another surge of anger.

I hear someone running towards us, probably to stop the fight and I muster all my remaining strength into my next swing, a right hook that smashes into Morlyg's face and he's out.

He collides with the ground and I gather my breath, turning around, wondering who saw the fight. I'm probably going to get in trouble but right now I don't care.

I find Rhovan, staring at me in shock. I wait for him to yell at me but he doesn't seem angry at all.

"Is he out?" he asks.

I nod, trying to reign in the anger I'm still feeling.

Rhovan takes a step towards me and lifts my chin, his eyes taking in the damage.

If I thought I was mad, the look on Rhovan's face made my own pale in comparison. His eyes were shooting daggers and then he blinks and his face is suddenly soft, as though his anger has left him.

"Are you okay?' he asks.

"You should see the other guy," I say with a grin.

Rhovan grimaces a little and I realize my mouth is bleeding. My smile faces but I'm still proud of my victory.

He looks towards Morlyg and laughs. "He definitely got the worst of the fight."

He then looks back at me with pride. "Nice Job."

At that moment it dawns on me just how much he enjoys instructing me. I am his student and have successfully defeated an opponent more than twice my size and he is proud of me.

"Thanks. It felt good."

"I bet," he replies. "We can talk to him when he wakes up. Then he'll be receiving a punch or two from myself."

"But I already fought him," I say in confusion.

"Yes, you did, but now he has hurt both you and Erebwen," he says in anger. "Besides he needs a shiner on the left eye to match his right one."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise at his response as his voice takes on a dangerous tone and I smile. We are probably enjoying this moment too much but neither of us care, we want answers.

"Remind me to never make you angry," I say.

"I could say the same to you."

A groan disrupts over conversation as Morlyg slowly comes to.

Rhovan passes me a glance and we pull him up against a tree into a standing position.

"Why have you been hurting Erebwen?" Rhovan asks.

He is calm, which surprises me and his voice has taken on an authoritative tone. He is several inches taller and he stares down at Morlyg, his eyes never wavering and waits for an answer.

Morlyg looks up but seems confused for a moment, rubbing his head back and forth with his hand.

"She told you?" he asks nonchalantly. "She never could keep her mouth shut."

His tone his uncaring and I want to punch him again. I look towards Rhovan for direction.

"She didn't have to. You made it obvious. You just couldn't keep your fists by your sides, could you?" he retorts back.

He is still the epitome of calm and would thoroughly impress me if not for the current situation. I know him well enough to know that underneath his exterior he is full of wrath and rage. Somehow he is managing to keep it hidden.

Usually, I'm the one who is good with hiding emotions, although I've never been good at hiding anger. It always seems to get the best of me.

"What do you want?" Morlyg seethes, ignoring Rhovan's insult.

"I want you to leave her and never see her again," Rhovan says, anger beginning to creep into his voice. His calm exterior is fading now, melting with every word. "Don't touch her, don't look at her, don't even think of her."

"And if I don't leave?" Morlyg taunts.

Rhovan's fist, quick as lightning smacks into his left eye, giving the shiner he promised.

Morlyg slumps against the tree.

"If you don't, this is what happens. And for every bruise you leave on her, I'll repay you tenfold. We clear?"

Morlyg nods.

Between the two of us, we've beat him up rather badly. We watch as he scuttles off and we both sit down on the grass, quiet and pondering everything that has happened.

"Well, I guess you've already got your practice in today," Rhovan says, breaking the silence.

I remain quiet but nod my head to acknowledge that I've heard him.

The realization that I just attacked someone and hurt them hits me full force. My anger has receded and guilt has taken its place. My parents would not be proud of me. I am not proud of me.

Morlyg has attacked and hurt Erebwen. I have attacked and hurt Morlyg. I am no better than he is.

"Do you think Erebwen will be mad?" Rhovan asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

I stare at him. I hadn't thought about that. I'd only thought of protecting her and revenge, it had never crossed my mind that she might not be happy about it. Would she be mad that I'd done so?

"I don't know," I answer.

"Maybe we should tell her?" he replies. "Better to hear things from us than Morlyg. He'd probably twist the tale and turn it on us."

I nod in agreement and stand up.

"You're awfully quiet," Rhovan remarks, looking at me with concern.

"We're no better than Morlyg after what we…what I just did to him."

Rhovan point to my cheek.

"He hurt you Narloth and he's been hurting Erebwen for who knows how long. We had cause to do what we did. I agree that we shouldn't have taken it so far but maybe it will help get the message across. We helped Erebwen."

I nod again, trying to believe him but I still feel guilty and I hope that if Erebwen is angry, that she will forgive me.

"Come on," I say. "Let's go see Erebwen."


	5. Breaking the Chains

_**A Rose Trapped Inside a Fist**_

Disclaimer: I disclaim owning anything of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit. I only own my own characters brought forth from my own wild imagination (Narloth, Erebwen, Rhovan, Dagorast, Belegor, Tindir, and Ashare).

This is my first Fanfic so reviews would be greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

_Sorry about the wait on this chapter. I was in the process of changing jobs and moving half way across the country. ;) Enjoy! I made it longer than my other chapters and will try to make the rest of them longer as well!_

**Chapter 5- Breaking the Chains**

As we head towards Erebwen's house we are both silent, deep in thought about what Morlyg has said and what Erebwen will think.

When we reach her front door I take a deep breath and knock. I almost hope she's not home but I hear her footsteps inside and she opens the door. She instantly notices the bruise on my cheek.

"Come in, I'll get some medicine," she says, ushering us inside.

I'm about to protest, to tell her I'm fine but as I move my mouth to speak my cheek stings in pain. I move my hand over it and can tell it's swollen. I probably look terrible.

I sit on the couch and Erebwen puts some kind of herb paste on my face. It feels better almost instantly. That's the kind of care you get when your best friend is a healer. A grim thought enters my mind as I realize that she probably puts the same paste on her own bruises.

"Thank you," I say.

She nods and then asks, "What happened?"

I am about to speak when Rhovan saves me the trouble.

"Morlyg punched her-"

"What?" Erebwen says, shocked. "Why would he punch her?"

"Because I punched him first," I reply.

She looks at me in surprise. This is probably one of the last things she would expect me to do.

"I know he's hitting you Erebwen."

She looks down at her hands.

"When I saw him I got so angry that I walked towards him and punched him. We fought and I ended up knocking him out and then Rhovan showed up."

She glances at Rhovan and he explains the rest of the story. She listens without interruption but then she explodes.

"I can't believe you would…how dare you-" she yells.

She is glaring at me. Not Rhovan. Me. I try to think of something to say but I can't think of anything and an apology is not something I'm going to give. I may regret not speaking to Morlyg before acting on my anger but in the end I don't regret a single punch.

"Get out," she says, seething.

"W-what?" I manage to get out in my surprise.

"Get out. Now." She repeats, straining to stay calm.

Heat rises to my cheeks and I get up, walking towards the door.

"Thanks for the medicine," I say softly as I step over the threshold.

I walk alone down the road hoping Rhovan can get through to her and that I haven't ruined my relationship with my best friend. Tears begin to build behind my eyes but I take control of myself before any of them get the chance to fall. I will not cry I tell myself and walk quicker, trying to escape the threat of tears and to put more distance between myself and Erebwen's house.

I find myself unable to stop thinking about how long Erebwen and I have been friends. I remember how she had comforted me when my Mother died and how she had made me stay at her house for a week after my Father had left because she didn't want me to be alone. She had been there for me and I had been there for her in her troubles. We always had each other.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath and when I open them I find that I have wandered to the practice field. I probably shouldn't be here in case Morlyg is around but my bet is that he's somewhere nursing his wounds and has left.

I reach towards my belt and remove Firefrost from its sheath. Might as well practice and blow off some steam since I'm here.

I swing to the left and a cry escapes my lips. I gasp, wincing and clutching my ribs. Morlyg punched me there, I remember.

I lift the tunic I'm wearing up and see a bruise that covers a third of my rib cage, discoloring one of my Haradrim tattoos, a plain sword pointing downwards towards my hip. I had gotten it when I began swordsmanship there but had only learned a couple of moves before we had had to flee.

I pull my shirt back down and anger rages within me and I swing my sword like crazy.

I am angry at Morlyg for abusing Erebwen, angry at myself for confronting Morlyg with punches rather than words, angry at Erebwen for being mad, angry at my Father for leaving me, angry at my Mother for dying, angry at Gandalf for telling me a prophecy full of riddles and leaving with no answers, anger and sadness that everyone always leaves. Always.

By choice, by ship or by death, everyone always leaves.

The tears come before I can stop them and the more I try to hold them back, the more I can't stop them. So I relent and let them fall.

I crouch down leaning against a nearby tree and try to relax. Crying won't help anything I remind myself. After a few moments I have cried the last of my tears and feel better. Crying is funny that way. It won't fix any of your problems but it makes you feel better. I shake my head and stand back up.

My cheek stings again and I decide to head home.

My neighbors glance in my direction as I pass, probably staring at my bruised face. I ignore them and once inside my house I shimmy out of my clothes, change into a nightgown and use the rest of my energy to pull myself into bed.

I watch Narloth leave and turn to face Erebwen, to tell her I'm sorry we took it so far, that we care for her and were just trying to help, but nothing comes out. I am speechless and don't know what to say to calm her down. I look down, studying my hands which have become incredibly fascinating all of a sudden and begin to decide if I should wait for her to speak or if I should leave her alone with her thoughts.

When I dare to look back up she is crying, her tears so silent that I hadn't noticed. I stand up and she falls into my arms. I look down at her in surprise and try to soothe her, rubbing and patting her back. She sobs into my shirt, her hands balled into fists, clasping my tunic.

"Shhh,"I say. "We'll get through this."

After a moment her crying stops and her blue eyes look into mine, shimmering.

I tuck a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"I won't let him hurt you anymore. You have nothing to worry about," I tell her.

She looks at me and coldness creeps into her eyes.

"No, but he does," she says.

I look at her in confusion.

"He's not getting away with this. It ends…tonight. It's over."

My heart skips a beat. She wants to leave him! She'll finally be safe. But why now I wonder.

"Where is this coming from? Why now?" I ask.

"Because he hurt Nar," she replies.

"But you were mad at her. You told her to leave."

"My anger was misplaced. I didn't mean to take it out on her. I got so angry when I saw that he'd hurt her. This is all my fault."

"No, it's n-"

"Yes it is. If I had left him before, if I hadn't been with him then none of this would have happened. He hit her and it's all because I've put myself in this ridiculous situation. Now you're all involved and getting hurt. I won't let him get away with this," she says in anger. "I don't want others getting hurt because I'm too cowardly to defend myself."

"Don't feel guilty or ashamed, Erebwen. None of this is your fault. You've been dealing with Morlyg for almost a year. I can't imagine what kind of courage that took."

She gives me a grateful half-smile.

"It wasn't always like that," she says. "He was kind and I was very happy. He never seemed happy though so I did everything I could to make things better, to make him smile but it was never enough and he began to say unkind things and he started to drink. Then one day I made him angry, I don't even remember what I did but I remember the sting on my face when he hit me. After that it never stopped and I threatened to tell someone, to leave him, but he got smarter. He quit hitting my face and only hit me where people wouldn't notice and he told me if I left him that he would kill those I'm closest to."

I listen to her story and I can't imagine living it. Being scared and abused everyday and being helpless because her loved ones are being threatened.

"Oh no," Erebwen says, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide with fear. "He'll kill them. Rhovan, my parents are in trouble and Narloth too."

"You'd really think he'd try?" I ask her. I can't see him being that brazen but she knows him far better than I do.

"I don't want to find out," she replies, heading towards the door.

I follow her outside and she heads towards a bay horse tied to a hitching post.

"You have to get Narloth. Tell her I'm sorry," Erebwen says. "I'll head towards my parents and make sure they're safe. Narloth and I can stay there tonight. You too if you'd like."

She hands me the reins of her horse and I swing up onto his back.

"You'll get to her quicker if you ride."

I nod. If Morlyg were to go after anyone it'd be Narloth…or Erebwen.

"Let me drop you off at your parent's house. Morlyg may be headed this way," I say before she runs off.

"But Nar-"

"Narloth can defend herself. She's beaten him once already and she can do it again."

"That was hand to hand combat. If he goes after her again it will be with the sword," she says nervously.

I don't reply and pull her up onto the gelding, hoping Narloth will be okay.

I awake to the sound of a knock on my door. I slowly get out of bed, still groggy with sleep. The sun is starting to set and my "nap" lasted longer than I'd wanted it to.

As I pass my mirror, I notice that my face has swollen even more and has turned black and blue. I grimace at the sight of myself and move towards the door.

The knocks have become urgent and I wonder and hope it might be Erebwen. I look through the peep hole to see who it is but the setting sun has cast shadows on their face and I can't make out who it is.

Said person loses all patience and bursts through the door.

I fall backward, landing on my side. The side with the bruise(go figure). I wince and stand up quickly, ready to defend myself against the mystery intruder.

The intruder comes closer and I see him grinning. I'd know that smile anywhere.

"What makes you think you can just burst through my front door? I know we're friends but-"

"Are we?" He says, smirking. " You look like you're about to knock me out."

I look at him confused and he points towards my hands. They're raised, ready for a fight.

"I think you can put those away now," he laughs.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Long story," he replies.

"We're immortal. I'm sure we've got time," I say.

"I'll explain on the ride to Erebwen's parents," he says pointing to Erebwen's horse standing outside.

I sigh and instead of interrogating him with more questions I decide to just go with it and quickly gather what I need into a pack and follow him back outside.

He explains everything as we travel through town and when we arrive I don't bother knocking. I'm so happy that Erebwen has forgiven me. I race inside and pull her into a hug and we both laugh, her parents shaking their heads at us, smiling. They have watched the two of us grow up and have always been kind to me.

Rhovan steps inside and clasps shoulders with Erebwen's Father. Her mother pulls Rhovan into a hug and Rhovan chuckles, a bit embarrassed but glad for the warm welcome.

Erebwen must have mentioned him to them.

"You've told your parents?" I ask.

"Yes," she confirms. "They know everything now."

Rhovan makes his way over to us and he puts a hand on Erebwen's shoulder.

"I'm okay," Erebwen says before he can ask.

He nods and we all sit down and snack on some lembas. Erebwen's parents head to bed and we are left to ourselves.

"Now what?" I say.

"It's his move," Erebwen replies.

We nod and eventually we've all fallen asleep, safe and sound.

Sometime in the night I wake to the sound of someone crying.

Erebwen is quietly sobbing, her hands covering her face. When she sees that I am awake, she wipes her face. I sit up and grasp her hand.

"You've got nothing to worry about. It'll be okay."

She nods, sniffling.

"Remember when we were kids and we decided we were no longer friends and that we hated each other?"

I smile.

"Yes," I reply. "We both crossed our arms and turned away from each other but we both kept glancing behind to see if the other would change their mind."

"And then we made eye contact and started laughing and giggling," Erebwen says, chuckling.

"We made such a ruckus that your parents came in to see what was going on," I add.

She nods and says, "we always were a bit silly."

"You two still are, waking me up with all your giggling," Rhovan says from a nearby couch.

I stick my leg out and push him off. He falls, his body making a thud as he hit's the ground. He tosses his pillow at me in response.

"Shhhhhh," Erebwen whispers, trying to contain her laughter. "I don't want to wake my parents up."

Rhovan mumbles something unintelligent, grabs his pillow and falls back asleep on the couch.

"I'm going to stay at my house, not here tomorrow," she says. "I won't let him keep me holed up here at my parents."

"I'll stay with you," I reply.

"Rhovan's going to stay with me."

I give her a questioning sideways glance.

Erebwen rolls her eyes.

"Relax. My Father asked him if he'd stay for a night or two to protect me. He's going to talk to Lord Elrond tomorrow about Morlyg and won't be here. My Mother's going to stay with me too."

Erebwen's Father is one of Rivendell's guards. I hope that after he speaks to Lord Elrond that Morlyg will be arrested or exiled. Something needs to happen.

"Are you comfortable with Rhovan staying with you?" I ask.

She glances at him and thinks about it for a moment.

"I think I don't know him as well as you do but I know you trust him and I trust your judgment on his character. He's been nothing but kind to me and I'm not going to let my opinion on men be ruined by my relationship with Morlyg."

"Good!" I say, proud of her.

She blushes and I hope she gets to know Rhovan over the next few days. Hopefully, he will get the courage to tell her his feelings now.

The next day Erebwen's Father leaves to speak with Lord Elrond and Rhovan helps her mother pack and move her things for her stay.

Erebwen and I go to her house and she gives me more medicine to put on my bruises. They are already healing and will be gone completely by tomorrow.

I watch Erebwen sift through her mail. She comes across a letter and after reading it she chokes out a weird yelp.

"Are you alright?"

She doesn't answer and hands me the letter.

It's from Morlyg and he has threatened her family if she refuses to marry him. I want to tear it in half and set the pieces on fire but hand it back to her. I can't believe he's asked her to marry him in a letter.

"What do we do?" she asks.

"Let's see what happens after your father speaks with Lord Elrond."

She nods and breathes deeply.

"Hey," I say, looking at her seriously. "You're safe. There's no way I'm letting him hurt my best friend."

She smiles and says, "you've already proved that. I bet he's scared of you.""Maybe," I laugh. "I feel bad about not talking to him before I started punching him. Rhovan said it might have made the message of leaving you alone more clear."

"Apparently not," she says, looking at the letter.

Then she smirks at me and rips the paper in half.

"Feel better?" I ask, grinning.

"Much," she says.


End file.
